I never seen the point of being negative prior to an election.. especially just a few days away

[Peacetrain]

What is the point of that?? honestly

[AZSkiffyGeek]

1. I'll be generous and say it's a coping mechanism

But it really feels like it’s suppressing the vote.

[Peacetrain]

2. It baffles me.. now is when you boost the most. get people excited to go vote

not obsess that all is doom and gloom.. There are more Democrats than there are Republicans.. we just have to move them along, a little TLC, we are a working peoples party and we have to give them a reason to get up out of the chair and go stand in line or vote early mail in whatever..

[LetMyPeopleVote]

37. I agree with you

Being negative just before an election makes no sense to me

[BlackSkimmer]

11. How does it suppress the vote?

I always vote, but I really don’t understand how someone might think…”oh things don’t look good, so I won’t vote.”

Makes no sense.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

12. Things look hopeless, my vote won't make a difference

Ties into “they’re all corrupt” as well.

[BlackSkimmer]

13. I just don't see that.

Besides the fact that all the crap on TV points to many “close races.” How does that stop someone from voting?

[AZSkiffyGeek]

16. Why do people leave football games

When their team is down and there’s two minutes left?

[BlackSkimmer]

45. In my experience that doesn't happen when a game is super close.

When polls are this close, whether you believe them or not, it seems it would spur people to vote.

At any rate, I really don’t see a football game as in any way comparable to voting for our democracy.

[Demsrule86]

19. TV is pretty much telling Democrats we are going to lose...some here do the same everyday...

It discourages voters.

[brooklynite]

25. Assuming we're talking about discussions here...

...who's vote is being suppressed?

[AZSkiffyGeek]

31. Not necessarily just here

And maybe “depressed” is a better word. But I see a lot of talk about foregone conclusions which leads to less interest in participating. Like I said elsewhere, it’s like the exodus to the parking lot when the football team is down at the 2-minute warning.
I’ve always thought that “vote like you’re 20 points down!” mantra was dumb because voting when you’re down that far is an exercise in futility. Like shoveling money at candidates who don’t have a chance (cough McGrath cough).

[JustAnotherGen]

47. That's how we 'run' candidates in

my county. We assume the loss. It's been very effective at taking over the county seat, getting Murphy re-elected, etc. etc. But - that's at the volunteer, and Committee level. We don't knock on doors and say that.

Careful - a drunk might come here and accuse me of lying - but I have him blocked so eh?

[Caliman73]

3. Lowering expectations.

Human behavior can be fascinating, and frustrating. A way that people try to cope with possible disappointment is to downplay positive outcomes. If I am already down, the bad news won't seem that bad.

I agree with AZ that the problem is that the behavior if widespread, can dissuade some people from participating. Give it everything you have, and take the outcome as it comes. You may be surprised and win.

[Peacetrain]

4. You said that right!! give it everything you've got..

[claudette]

5. Hopefully

it will move more Democrats to go vote. I’m worried that all this naysaying will make magats accuse Democrats of fraud when we win!! Lots of absentee ballots aren’t fully counted on Election Day itself.

[Peacetrain]

6. Yep... it plays right into their deviant little hands..

[JohnSJ]

7. Exactly. If this was months from the election that would be one thing, but 7 days before the

election

[Just_Vote_Dem]

8. To discourage you

And to see so much of it on a Democratic site...

[brooklynite]

26. "Discourage" is an overt act. Point to someone who is.

Whether you agree or not, some people see the election outcome as challenging. That comes out in discussion.

[Just_Vote_Dem]

27. No.

[Just_Vote_Dem]

28. Nice try to get me a hide by mentioning someome though

[JustAnotherGen]

48. Well played

[Hortensis]

9. +1000.

The science minded, including subversives, can quote statistics from studies on how much negativism discourages and subverts voting. “Spirituality” types may just point to negative energy.

Whatever. If this was a football game, those eager to despair would be escorted off the field. But it’s not.

[Just_Vote_Dem]

10. It's amazing

I saw someone post a poll that looked good for us, then someone else answered back, something to the effect of, "Why would you think we're winning???" and post some negative polls. I thought I wandered into the wrong group.

[LeftInTX]

38. But candidates do this too. It's to create a sense of urgency

Here is an email I received today. (Harold is my husband's name.)

[Silent3]

43. Are you really so sure the "science minded" would agree?

I've personally never seen anyone back this idea up with data. In fact, given how often candidates use unfavorable polls in fund-raising material to create a sense of urgency, it seems likely that some negativism (at least if it's not so intense that you climb into a warm tub and slit your wrists) is a useful motivator.

[mcar]

14. I'll never understand. Nt

[Ocelot II]

15. The onslaught of doom and gloom emails I've been getting

from Dem candidates all over the country certainly isn't encouraging, either. The subject line, usually all caps, is something like "WE'RE IN TROUBLE!" or "Joe Doe NEEDS HELP!" or "ARE YOU STILL A DEMOCRAT??" These emails must work or they wouldn't send them, but I find them both irritating and demoralizing, and they don't inspire me to donate to the senders.

[LeftInTX]

30. Yes, they must work

I'm on the GOP spam too. They also send doom and gloom. It's not just a Democratic Party thing.

[BannonsLiver]

17. Well for some here it's a giant ego trip.

You know, like the one who posts about exclusive meetings with Dave Wasserman and others and then vomits out that negativity here and demands that we all lap it up or else there’s gonna be a scolding.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

18. If they bother you so much you can block them

Rather than coming on other posts to trash them.

[Just_Vote_Dem]

20. Why do that and let the trasher get away with it?

I'm a Democrat, I don't like bullies.

[BannonsLiver]

23. Nah.

But feel free to take your own advice on that. I wouldn’t want to take time away from your Katie Hobbs campaign strategy critiques.

[JustAnotherGen]

21. I don't know why it is done

I don't post any side discussions with Party leaders - state or national.

[BannonsLiver]

22. I wasn't talking about you but I also question why.

In that particular case I think it’s a latent hatred and contempt for the working class.

[JustAnotherGen]

24. I know you weren't

Not everyone is meant to engage the entire tent. A few Sundays ago my husband and I went to see the Matisse exhibit in Philly, then met up with an old friend of mine to canvass in Philly. Two birds, one 50 mile drive.

The joy that we showed up - was very apparent. The folks in Philly are far more enthusiastic than the pollsters and professional left talking heads are aware.

That political beast is too focused on white suburban moms in Kansas to care about the ACTUAL base in Philadelphia.

[Cha]

36. lol.. and Yep! So Appreciate

an OP like this calling it out!

Sick of the never ending Negativity.

GOTV BLUE!

[Polybius]

40. It was a huge source of info

I trust Wasserman and Carville more than those that have no data, yet say that we'll win.

[iemanja]

29. I don't see many negative posts

Unless you are referring to the posts about polls, which people decide are GOP propaganda because they don't like the news. I'm sick of THAT.

[lame54]

32. To quote Knute Rockne...

" Now, go out there and get your asses kicked. You don't have a prayer. "

[LeftInTX]

33. It has to be really bad to depress the vote.

I get tons of doom and gloom.emails from Nancy Pelosi. I'll screenshare in a bit. It's a campaign strategy. I get doom and gloom from the GOP emails too. (I like to spy on them)

[LeftInTX]

34. Email from a Democratic candidate

Last edited Wed Nov 2, 2022, 11:22 PM - Edit history (1)

[url=https://postimg.cc/B83FVQpK][img][/img][/url]

[LeftInTX]

35. There is nothing worse than, " We got this"

Voting is work. If a voter feels that his candidate is gonna win, why bother voting? For instance if I lived in Democratic nirvana, I may not be motivated to vote because I knew my candidate would win. I didn't care about voting until Reagan won in 1980. That race woke me up.

Voters need to feel that races are competitive. Even though the Dem won't carry Texas, we have down ballot races which are important.

[Polybius]

39. How about November, 1984? November 1972?

If you were born and old enough to vote then, were you positive? How about 2010?

[Silent3]

41. Why does what a person says have to have any other point than "This is how I feel"?

Positive thinking is not the magical generator of positive outcomes that you perhaps think it is, and even if it were, no one else would be obligated to either fake positivity or keep pessimism to themselves just because you want them to play the positive thinking game.

[JI7]

42. I agree , IT might be different if they had a specfiic strategy in Mind

for example if they suggested that the campaign reach out to a specific area which could help .

But usually it's just drama bs . We will either win or lose. THat's what elections are. And if we lose they come on with " I warned you" type of bs. Like, what the fuck does that mean. What did you expect people to do ? Do you think poeople have superpowers that if you talk about how we are losing that we could easily change things up.

Fucking idiots .

[betsuni]

44. +1

[Kaleva]

46. I'm getting many doom & gloom texts and emails from candidates

The fate of the world depends on my contribution